BP oil spill coverage earns CNN another Peabody Award

CNN has won in the past for its coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the Cold War

Atlanta (CNN) -- CNN has earned a Peabody award for its extensive coverage of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Working together across beats, shows and platforms, our collaborative reporting and leading journalism distinguished our organization, our brand and our profession," Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide, wrote in a Friday statement to staff.

"It feels good to be recognized for being the best. That's what the Peabody means," he added.

The Peabody committee, in announcing the award, said CNN earned the recognition for the breadth and depth of its coverage of the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig and the ensuing aftermath.

For months, CNN doggedly covered every aspect of the spill, from the attempts to cap the spewing well to the subsequent environmental disasters in the Gulf of Mexico and along its coasts.

"The science, the economics, the politics, the toll on human livelihoods and animal lives -- CNN's coverage of the Deepwater Horizon disaster defined comprehensive," the committee wrote in a statement.

Administered by the University of Georgia, the Peabody Awards have been considered among journalism's highest honors since first being handed down in 1941.